If you take the road through the mountains toward Kamiyama near Kawashima Castle in Tokushima, you will stumble upon a very narrow road. Beside it is a sign that reads "Enter at your own risk." I thought it was an exaggeration until I reached an incredibly narrow, steep road about 2 kilometers further down.
Once I carefully made my way down the road that had been ravaged by a typhoon, an old Japanese style house suddenly appeared at the end of an unpaved driveway. It was a wooden building with a thatched roof covered with galvanized iron.
It was a really nostalgic snapshot of how Japan was like in the past. The restaurant had a lot of interesting tools, such as stone mills and an earthen stove to cook food. The food was delicious, of course. The rice cooked in the mountain water and handmade soba (buckwheat noodles) tasted incredible.
Nothing beats sitting out on an outdoor porch where cherry blossoms dance around you as you enjoy the view of the mountain. My list of places to visit during the spring (when cherry trees are in bloom) has yet again increased.
